-Chapter 4-
In an instant, the entire banquet hall fell silent.
Even Yelena, who had been silently observing everything from not far away, was shocked and covered her mouth.
Rose actually kissed Lucas?
She had grown up with Rose and knew this woman better than anyone.
Even if she kissed Lucas just to get rid of David, even if it was a moment of impulse, the very act of doing something like that proved one thing. She definitely didn't dislike Lucas.
She might even feel a bit of affection for him.
On the other side, Lucas caught the faint fragrance and widened his eyes. He felt like his entire being had sunk into a pile of cotton, soft and weightless.
[No! I can't get lost in this. The male lead is watching from the side. But I also can't push away the female lead. Otherwise, my character will collapse. According to villain logic, I need to turn the tables!]
Without thinking further, Lucas lifted his hands, ready to wrap them around Rose and kiss her back.
But just as he lifted his hands, Rose pushed him away and once again took his arm.
Lucas: "…"
You kiss when you feel like it and stop when you don't. What do you take me for?
"Did you see clearly, David? Do you still think I was forced?"
The kiss ended.
Rose's face flushed with embarrassment, and a trace of regret crept in.
To escape from David, to retaliate against the bastard who kept cursing her in his mind, she had actually sacrificed her first kiss.
But what was done was done, and she had no time to care anymore.
Letting that brat take advantage was still better than letting David seize the White Corporation.
David clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, flames burning in his dark eyes like molten lava.
"Rose! I'll ask you one last time. Are you really going to be this playboy's girlfriend? Don't you know that this kind of sacrifice is meaningless? Just say the word and I'll wipe out the entire Grey family and return your freedom!"
[Fuck you! All I did was be a simp, not murder anyone, and you want to wipe out the Grey family? What is this, some ultra-alpha syndrome?]
Seeing that David was about to lose control and was on the verge of punching Lucas's head off, Zeke suddenly rushed over at the last second.
"You filthy pauper! Who do you think you are, showing off at our Miller family banquet, laying hands on our honored guest, and even boasting about destroying the Grey family? I'll show you what happens when you mess with Zeke."
He suddenly pulled a military-grade dagger from his sleeve and, with no regard for the consequences, swung it straight at David.
Startled, Lucas quickly shouted, "Zeke, stop!"
He actually dared to attack the male lead and with a knife, no less.
Was he trying to get himself killed?
But it was too late.
David was already furious. Now faced with someone running up to die and even daring to attempt to kill him, how could he tolerate that?
He clenched his fist. Using half his strength, he threw a heavy punch that landed squarely on Zeke's face.
In an instant—
Zeke's face collapsed inward like a deflated balloon.
Cough!
Blood sprayed out, and Zeke instantly lost consciousness.
The entire scene fell deathly quiet.
Lucas, Rose, and Yelena were all horrified.
Such skill. Such brutality.
That punch was clearly meant to kill.
"Zeke!"
Yelena quickly rushed to Zeke's side and checked his breath. Fortunately, he was still alive.
"Call an ambulance!"
After instructing the butler to take care of Zeke, she immediately stood up. Her usual elegance and gentleness were in complete disarray. The storm in her eyes grew stronger.
"Mr. Fox, my father kindly invited you to his birthday banquet. How could you harm my family like this?"
David's expression darkened. "You didn't see it? He came at me first."
Yelena frowned disapprovingly. "Even if he did, to you he's no more than an ant. A light punishment would've sufficed. Was it necessary to nearly kill him?"
Though she wasn't close to Zeke and he was just a distant relative she'd barely seen, still…
If they had been close—
Then even if David had saved her father, she would still have made him pay the price.
"Our Miller family doesn't welcome guests like you. Please leave. I won't be seeing you off."
With that, she turned away and walked straight to Lucas's side, standing there with her back to David.
David clenched his fists and glared at Yelena through gritted teeth.
"You're throwing me out? Fine. I can go. But know this. Once I walk out that door, the Miller family will no longer be my concern. Even if you kneel in front of me and beg, don't expect me to help you again."
Yelena remained silent.
After a moment, a blaze of resentment flashed in David's eyes. He turned and looked at Rose again.
"Rose, I'll give you one last chance. Are you coming with me or not?"
Rose calmly replied, "My boyfriend is right here. Why would I go with you?"
"Fine. Don't regret your decision today."
With that, David swept his gaze across the hall. Everyone around him bowed their heads in fear, not daring to meet his eyes. Only then did he let out a cold snort and stride out of the hotel.
Lucas watched his back, feeling like his brain was about to explode.
[This plot doesn't match at all.]
[Wasn't tonight supposed to be Yelena scolding Zeke on behalf of the male lead, then announcing in front of everyone that the male lead is an honored guest of the Miller family, then personally driving him home, showing concern, spraining her ankle by accident, letting the male lead rub her ankle, and finally gifting him a whole villa?]
[But Rose didn't cooperate. Yelena gave him the cold shoulder. The badass, overpowered male lead suddenly became completely ignored. How does this even make sense?]
Hearing Lucas's thoughts, Yelena became both embarrassed and furious.
She had been raised with strict discipline and always upheld the image of a proper lady.
How could she possibly let a man she'd only met twice rub her ankle?
No. He wasn't just spouting nonsense.
He could predict future events.
Could it be this world really was just a novel?
David was the male lead blessed with both luck and power. She and Rose were just part of his harem?
No. She wouldn't accept that.
Even if it was true, as the noble daughter of the Miller family, she would never let someone else control her fate.
Thinking this, she looked deeply at Lucas.
It seemed that, to avoid being manipulated by the plot, she would need to interact with Lucas more and listen to his thoughts.
Suddenly locking eyes with Yelena, Lucas felt his heart jolt.
[Uhh… what's with that look in her eyes? Why does it feel like she's about to devour me…?]
Because of Zeke's severe injuries, what should have been a lively birthday banquet had to be cut short and ended quietly.
Taking advantage of Rose being called away by Old Master Miller for a private talk, Lucas seized the moment to sneak out of the Miller family villa.
According to the plot, next would be Rose struggling to deal with KY Group. Yelena and David would begin to grow closer. In any case, none of it involved him.
Until Rose hit a dead end and agreed to get engaged with him.
Until then, he was free.
Awesome.
He immediately took out his phone, ready to call up some rich brats and a few pretty party girls for a wild night out.
As soon as he returned to the villa, he received a system notification.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the first round of the villain plot. Character consistency score: 100 points. Rewards have been issued. Please check, host!]
Rewards?
Lucas hadn't expected that aside from the ultimate ten-billion prize, there were also stage rewards for progressing through the plot.
He quickly opened the interface to check.
As long as he maintained a character consistency score above 60 during the plot roleplay, he would receive a basic reward: five attribute points.
With a score above 80, he could choose between an additional skill or enhanced wound recovery.
At 100 points, he would receive a complete ancient martial arts manual.
And the rewards could be stacked.
In other words, Lucas had just earned all three major prizes.
He first clicked on the attribute bonus.
In that moment, a warm current surged through his entire body. Lucas immediately felt his strength, mental clarity, eyesight, and hearing had all improved significantly.
When he clenched his fists, even his arms tensed up and revealed a layer of visible muscle.
Bear in mind, Lucas was a typical rich playboy. He stayed up late, smoked, drank, and never exercised. His body was as weak as could be.
Now he actually had muscle. That alone showed how incredible the attribute bonus was.
Next, without hesitation, he chose the enhanced wound recovery over the additional skill.
The Grey family had no worries about food or money. What would he need extra skills for?
Of course he would choose the ability to quickly recover from injuries after being beaten by the male lead. That way he could suffer less.
As for the third reward, Lucas browsed the list of manuals and picked "Legendary Light-Footwork Technique."
As a villain, nothing was more important than quickly healing after getting beaten, and even more crucial was running away before getting hit.
Once he confirmed the rewards, Lucas tested his speed by running from the sofa to the door. He actually covered the distance in the blink of an eye.
Perfect.
Even if the male lead wanted him dead in the future, at least he could run and survive.
It might be a little cowardly, but what choice did he have as the villain?
Better to live in shame than die pointlessly.
With the rewards settled, Lucas felt much more relaxed. He immediately pulled out his phone and called up all the rich brats and pretty girls in his contact list.
A playboy who didn't indulge in wine, women, and parties wasn't truly living the life.
It had to be said, Young Master Grey's reputation carried real weight.
In less than half an hour, a crowd of young men and women arrived at the villa.
The guys bowed and scraped the moment they saw him, repeating phrases like "Young Master Grey is the best" and "Young Master Grey's kidneys are treasures."
As for the girls, whether sultry or sweet, they clung to him like they had no bones in their bodies.
They crowded him from the left, right, front, and back without leaving a single gap. Even his feet were grabbed by a girl for a foot massage.
The spacious villa soon filled with pounding music. The men built champagne towers, and the women changed into bikinis.
The atmosphere couldn't be more intense.
Before long, Lucas lost himself in the revelry and passed out among a pile of beauties.
…
"Lukie, wake up. Mom made you some hangover soup. Get up and drink it or the hangover will be terrible."
Mom?
Lucas opened his eyes groggily and found himself lying in a warm, sunlit bed.
Sitting by the bed was a beautiful woman in her forties. She held a bowl of hangover soup and looked at him with a gentle smile.
This was the villain's mother, Susanna Wade?
He sat up, took the bowl, and drank as he stole glances at Susanna. He was afraid this woman would notice something was off about her son.
But Susanna's expression was full of motherly warmth. She even reminded him now and then, "Drink slowly. Don't choke."
Lucas suddenly felt a bit moved.
Everything else in this world felt fake, but this sincere motherly love was real.
It was just that in the original novel, her ending wasn't good.
The novel had written: "The Grey family lost everything. Lucas's parents were left with nothing. One ended up sweeping streets while the other washed dishes in freezing back kitchens for a pitiful wage."
Lucas couldn't help but glance at Susanna's hands.
They were fair and delicate, clearly pampered with luxury. He wouldn't have doubted it if someone told him they belonged to a twenty-year-old girl.
Yet those very hands were doomed to develop chilblains and be soaked in icy water every day, all because of him.
The thought made him feel a bit guilty.
Forget it.
Being a villain was his own business. He couldn't drag his parents into it.
He had to find a way to protect them.
Just then, Susanna spoke.
"Lukie, I don't mind you inviting friends over to the house. But you have to be careful. You're pure and naive, and you don't understand how dangerous people can be. You might get taken advantage of."
Lucas nearly spat out his soup.
Pure?
Naive?
What do those words have to do with a villain?
"Do you know? When I came home last night, I saw a girl taking advantage of you while you were passed out. If she had succeeded and ended up with a child, what would we have done?"
What?
Lucas's jaw dropped. Someone had taken advantage of him?
Hell no. Which female pervert was it? Step forward if you dare. Do it while he's sober, if you've got the guts.
Pulling tricks while he was blackout drunk didn't count as real skill.
"Lukie, don't worry. The White family is about to give in. Once Rose marries into our family, I promise she'll be head over heels for you."
The moment he heard that, Lucas quickly cut her off. "Mom, I don't like Rose anymore. Please don't get involved in this."
The first thing he needed to do to save his parents was to keep them far away from Rose.
Otherwise, they'd eventually provoke the male lead and bring disaster on themselves.
"You don't like her anymore?" Susanna's eyes widened. "Lukie, are you still drunk? You chased Rose for so long. You even stole your dad's company stamp for her. How could you possibly not like her anymore?"
Lucas scratched his head awkwardly. "People change, right? I'm sick of looking at her poker face every day. Time for a change."
Her son had always been spoiled and reckless, especially prone to acting on whims.
Susanna was stunned for a moment but quickly accepted it. "Alright. If you don't like Rose anymore, then I'll help you find someone better."
"Uh… there's no need to trouble yourself, Mom…"
"What do you think about Sylvia Morgan?"
Pffft!
Lucas sprayed the hangover soup all over the bed and stared wide-eyed. "Who?"
"Sylvia. The eldest daughter of the Morgan family. Don't you remember? The two of you even shared a bed as kids. She went abroad for school and just came back. The Morgan family is searching far and wide for a son-in-law."
No way.
Sylvia…
Lucas unconsciously raised a hand to press against his chest.
This woman wasn't just David's childhood fiancée. She was also the female villain who loved and hated him throughout the entire novel.
Of course, in Dragon King novels, any woman, no matter her role, eventually fell in love with the male lead. Even the antagonists.
So even though Sylvia claimed to hate the male lead, she often helped him in secret.
In the end, she even handed over the martial technique she had trained in for twenty years, allowing the male lead to ascend to the pinnacle of power.
And now his mother was suggesting, he go on a blind date with Sylvia?
Was she trying to get him killed faster?
"No, Mom, I just broke up. I don't want to jump into anything new so quickly. Let me cool off for a few days."
Susanna, afraid he would change his mind and go back to chasing Rose, stood up at once. "It's settled then. I'll contact the Morgan family right now and arrange for you to meet Sylvia!"
-End of Chapter 4-